March 15, 2011
So today started out super rough. Bad mood. Just… life, man. In the car, my group even got a little heated… every single person I’ve talked to had a bad morning. Coincidence? I don’t know.
But once we got to Ethembeni, we prayed it out. Which was a super good idea. Because what happened next REALLY frustrated me. We were talking with one of the workers about what we were going to do for the day. She was absolutely CLUELESS. She had NO IDEA what she wanted us to do. At all. And she didn’t like our ideas. I was about to flip my lid. I think it was because I just want to be helpful! I want to make a difference! And I just feel helpless sometimes with my stupid foot. Pretty much all physical help is OUT.
BUT! When Claire got there, SHE had a plan, so it turned out to be quite lovely!
I spent my morning writing a skit about Noah’s Ark! I’m super proud of it! And I am so grateful for the opportunity. It’s the first “creative” thing I’ve done since church, when it was prophesied that I would do great creative things! Hopefully, God will use this skit for His glory! We are going to perform it sometime this week. Can’t wait!
Then Tyler pulled a doctor stint on my foot.
OK PS!!! THREE PEOPLE TODAY TOLD ME TO STOP BABYING MY FOOT! I know they were trying to help.
But I was MAD.
It HURTS!!! You DON’T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE! Please don’t tell me how my foot feels!
GAH! So, to assess the damage, Tyler played doctor on my foot. It turns out the injured part of my foot no longer is the main source of my pain. The part that HURTS is my heel and my arch. According to the physical therapist’s son, those are the areas of the foot that hurt when they are not used. Kind of like… what I was doing… So, with careful thought and consideration, and with the urging of many people who make injuring themselves a habit, I decided to walk on my foot (now in a boot) with ONE crutch! SO HAPPY!!!! Finally! A step toward mobility!!!!!!!! I could not be more joyous!!! A MIRACLE!!!
Then I finally started building relationships with high schoolers! It’s so funny that many of them are older than I am with children. Seriously. There is a 17 year old girl with a 3 year old. Today I made friends with an 18 year old in grade 12 named Zodwa. She loved school, but couldn’t go to “university” because she didn’t have enough money. I always ask kids if they like school. “Yes! Very much!” Then I ask them if they are “going to varsity?” They always say, “No. I don’t have the money.”
Think about this for a moment. When do you hear an American child say they like school? I mean, has it happened?? If it has, WHEN? Often?
Probably NOT. And yet, the question we ask in America is “where are you going to college?” Not “are you going?” But “where?”
We take SO MUCH for granted. Even meals.
Yesterday at the jazz concert, I heard this lady (she was a tourist. UGH. Americans. ;) talking about all the shopping she is going to do. I inwardly puked. OK. You just visited a township with NO electricity, trash EVERYWHERE, that is completely impoverished by AIDS and you are talking about buying everything in sight?! REALLY?!
I am not against shopping. But come now. Let’s set our sights a little higher now, ma’am.
I just can’t live how I used to. And I don’t want to. My eyes are opened to THIS world, THIS place. And I can’t just pretend like nothing is changed. There is a fire in me now.
And I’m kind of excited about it.
RANDOM:
IRREVOCABLY: New favorite word. Love it.
Embarrassing/ HILARIOUS moment of the day: I have a cough. It’s nasty. I get grossed out every time I cough because it is a MUCUS cough. EW.
So SJ was driving the Ethembeni folks home and BAM. Coughed up mucus. There was NO WAY I was going to swallow it.
“Doh a-y uh ah ee-ex?!” <- “Does anyone have Kleenex?!”
Negative.
So, SJ pulled to the side of the road (we were still going. She just changed lanes) and told me to roll down my window.
I spit.
And it lands on the outside of the window.
The WINDOW, for Pete’s sake!
The entire car erupts in “EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!”
Yep. I couldn’t blame ‘em.
It was pretty much a mucus masterpiece if I do say so myself…
I am going to blame my lack of spiting efficiency on Tommy. Come on, man. WHY did you never teach me to SPIT?! Did you not think this would be a valuable life tool?! Way to NOT think ahead.
It was gross. But I haven’t laughed so hard in a LONG time. Way to turn something grody into something awesome, Jesus J
After dinner I worked on my paper with Grace, Micah, Colton, and Jenny. I love those guys J
And I think I am going to go to bed the EARLIEST I ever have in South Africa. HURRAH!!! Cue confetti! Alert the embassy!
Final PS: TWO churches that I don’t go to prayed for me this weekend. Truly incredible. I cannot even describe how thankful I feel about that.
A verse that is inexplicably on my heart:
Love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and will all of your strength.
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